ESTERO, Fla. – While attending the dedication ceremony for Hertz’s new corporate headquarters today, Governor Scott announced that Florida businesses created 21,000 private-sector jobs in December 2015. In just five years, 1,025,400 private-sector jobs have been created in Florida. The state celebrated one million new private-sector jobs milestone in November 2015.

Governor Rick Scott said, “Florida is growing. Businesses in our state have created well over a million jobs in just over five years. This impressive milestone joins the news that our state is welcoming a record number of tourists, our crime rate is at a 44-year low and we have record high state revenues. We must continue this momentum into 2016 by cutting $1 billion in taxes and further diversifying our economy with the creation of the $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund.”

Over the year in December, Florida businesses created 238,900 new private-sector jobs. Florida’s annual private-sector job growth rate has exceeded that of the nation for 44 consecutive months, and is now 3.5 percent.

In December 2015, Florida’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, the lowest in seven years. This is down 0.7 percentage point from the December 2014 rate, and down by 0.1 percentage point from the November 2015 revised rate of 5.1 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate has declined by 5.7 percentage points since December 2010.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Business in Florida is thriving, and the state continued its strong record of private-sector job creation to close out 2015. Investments like Governor Scott’s proposed $1 billion tax cut will continue to grow jobs across the Sunshine State, providing more opportunities for Floridians to support themselves and their families.”

Other positive economic indicators include:

• Florida’s private-sector job growth month-to-month has been positive for 50 consecutive months. 
• Private-sector industries gaining the most jobs over the month in December were professional and business services with 8,400 new jobs and trade, transportation, and utilities with 5,200 new jobs.
• Florida job postings showed 282,386 openings in December 2015.
• In December, Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported more than 37,932 Floridians, including 1,847 veterans, were placed in jobs. 

To view the December 2015 employment data visit www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.

###